Given a recent Harris national poll showing that a good majority of respondents either didn't know that much about the Entertainment Software Ratings Board's ratings classification for games or thought they were ineffective, the Entertainment Software Association makes a smart play today by announcing a new national public education campaign to educate American parents further about the tools and information available.

Hopefully the new awareness campaign can also serve as a preemptive strike against lawmakers who are either pretending that it is ineffective or want to create some sort of awful government ratings system of their own.

Not that video games or the ESRB are the first entertainment sector to be targeted by the government, who often does look before it leaps to the familiar trope of censorship (just ask the movie, music, and comic book industry - all of which have been dragged before Congress at one time or another in the name of "protecting children").

The ESA's ESRB ratings system will get some much needed exposure according to the trade group including a new series of "Public Service Announcements (PSA) encouraging parents to review the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) video game ratings and utilize existing video game console parental controls."

In a recent episode of Super Podcast Action Committee I noted that taking a more aggressive approach to advertising the ratings system during shows that grown-ups watch would be a first step towards more awareness.

"This campaign will connect with consumers in an immediate and sustained way in addition to the traditional mechanisms over TV outlets. By channeling our industry’s compelling and innovative medium, we will instantly provide proven, practical, and effective information to millions of consumers," said Michael D. Gallagher, president and CEO of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the U.S. trade association representing video game publishers.

"No one knows better than parents when it comes to making decisions about which games their children should and should not play," said U.S. Senator John Thune (R-SD), ranking member of the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. "The video game industry makes games for people of all ages, but that doesn’t mean all games are appropriate for everyone. I commend the industry for raising awareness of the tools available to parents that can help them make informed decisions about the games their children play."

The ESA's plan hopes to increase and enhance public education efforts around video game ratings and parental controls by developing and funding a series of new PSAs; work with retailers to educate millions of their customers about video game ratings and parental controls in stores and in online storefronts; work with policy makers "to extend the proven ESRB rating system to the broader games ecosystem of smart phones, tablets, and online social games;" and continue to support and partner with "non-profits using video games for educational and other pro-social purposes."

"The more parents know about the wealth of dynamic tools the video game industry has developed for monitoring game play, the more empowered they will be to make informed decisions about which video games are appropriate for their family. I commend the video game industry for recognizing the importance of educating and engaging parents about the ratings and other resources and for leading a national program that will ensure the decision-making power remains where it should be – with parents," said Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL-23).

Comments

So parents should be able to censor they kids for whatever they wish? Since when did parents become this great judge of content?

Parents might have religious beliefs and censor they kids to things that challenge that belief. Its not the kids religion but the parents so why should the kid suffer for it? Hell we have parents who take they kids out of science class for teaching evolution.

Censorship is bad no matter the age or the content and serves nothing more the keeping the ones facing that censorship in a bubble. For kids this cant stunt growth.

Keeping kids from playing certain games does nothing but pass on the parents sensitivity towards certain subjects. That is why we have tons of people in this country that have repressed feelings towards sex and nudity that even in the year 2013 there is a debate on rather women should be allowed to breastfeed in public. Thanks to parents doing whatever they can to keep kids from seeing anything that has to do with sex or nudity.

In the 1980s, I played a great game called 'Raid on St Nazaire'. It was a tabletop board game and each session I played involved a heavy body count not unlike modern FPS games. We didn't need parental controls because it was just a game. No one ever seriously suggested that it, or any other war game, could lead to violent behavior because it was just a game.

These days, my 9 year-old daughter and I play similar games on the computer or on my Xbox. But nothing much has changed - the games still have a high body count, but now I don't need to read a 20 page rule book in order to play and almost all of the calculation is done invisibly by the computer. And I STILL don't need parental controls because it's still just a game.

By educating parents about the ESRB's ratings, I feel the ESA is surrendering the high ground to those who would destroy our hobby. Games are not something we need ratings for - no one has ever proved that they are anything other than completely and absolutely harmless. We are 'educating' parents to prevent harm that is completely nonexistent.

"By educating parents about the ESRB's ratings, I feel the ESA is surrendering the high ground to those who would destroy our hobby. Games are not something we need ratings for - no one has ever proved that they are anything other than completely and absolutely harmless. We are 'educating' parents to prevent harm that is completely nonexistent."

The ESRB ratings are not about "preventing harm" real or imagined. They are about providing information to parents who want and/or use that information. Just because you don't mind your kids playing violent FPS games, does not mean that every parent feels the same way. Some parents want more control over the content their children consume for a variety of reasons. The ESRB facilitates that effort.

Sure it can at times be a crutch for lazy parents, but it is also a powerful tool in the right hands. I honestly don't see anything negative about this campaign.